


1-9 Tiger Millionaire

by iippo



Series: Steven Universe Renaissance [9]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25489210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iippo/pseuds/iippo
Summary: Steven discovers the exciting world of an underground wrestling league.
Series: Steven Universe Renaissance [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796686
Kudos: 10





	1-9 Tiger Millionaire

**Author's Note:**

> An alternative universe. See series page for details.

The sun had set hours ago in Beach City and all the respectable Beach Citizens were asleep, including Steven Universe.

But not for long.

“Steven!” A raspy voice called out his name, jolting him awake. The voice belonged to Amethyst the Crystal Gem, Steven’s partner in protecting the Earth. She was coming up the stairs to the loft where Steven slept.

“What? I’m ready!” Steven hollered incoherently, wielding a pillow, ready to fight.

“Sorry dude, did I wake you?” Amethyst asked with a ridiculing laugh.

“No no, it’s okay,” Steven said, waking up. “Is there a gemergency?” 

“No. And don’t say gemergency,” Amethyst replied and tossed her hair. She didn’t like portmanteaus.

“Why not?” Steven asked, but Amethyst ignored her. 

“So I was thinking, that since you have summoned your weapon now and been on a serious gem mission, that maybe you’re ready for some cool secret human stuff too!” Amethyst explained her sudden intrusion to Steven’s sleep cycle.

Steven forgot all his questions as he got starry eyed from excitement.

Amethyst refused to explain further and Steven changed clothes as quickly as he could and they headed out of the beach house. They walked down the beach towards Funland but then passed it and climbed the hill towards what Steven thought was just an old, abandoned warehouse. Except it didn’t seem abandoned tonight. There were lights and noise coming from inside.

They entered and there in the cavernous industrial space was a makeshift wrestling arena surrounded with folding chairs for the audience. Mr. Smiley – dressed up in a collar shirt and a suit jacket with his usual shorts and boots – was sitting behind a folding table, emceeing the event. “Welcome to Beach City Underground Wrestling!”

Amethyst glanced at Steven and grinned seeing his face lit up with amazement. Amethyst had come to watch wrestling from time to time for a long while. Mostly she found the humans’ fighting pathetic and hilarious, but there had been times she had seen a wrestler do a cool move that she had then incorporated into her own fighting style.

They got some drinks and found some seats and watched the show. Steven spotted Lars and Sadie a few rows over and waved and hollered at them: “Hi Lars! Hi Sadie!”

Sadie waved back: “Oh hi Steven!”

Lars fumed when he noticed Steven. “Ugh, what, Steven likes underground wrestling? That’s just, totally lame, wrestling’s for kids, I’m outta here,” he grumbled, got up and left. Sadie chased after him, confused: “Lars, wait!”

The evening was a feast of violence, noise and creative wrestling personas in fun outfits. Steven loved every second of it and he and Amethyst were the last to leave, laughing and talking about everything they had seen as they walked home.

Steven thought of a fun quesion: “Oh oh! If you were a wrestler, what would your persona be?” He asked.

“Hmm, maybe...” Amethyst began to answer and shapeshifted into a tall, muscular man with a hairy chest, dressed in a wrestling speedo and a mask, “-the Purple Puma! Rawr!”

Steven loved it.

“What about you?” Amethyst asked. “And don’t say Cat Fingers,” she added with a shudder.

“I think...” Steven pondered, “I would base my wrestling persona on the fact that I am extremely good-looking: Stunning Steven!”

Amethyst wasn’t impressed. “Nah man, Dashing Danny Doober and Handsome Hank Hacklesmidt already do the good-looking characters, you gotta do you own thing,” she adviced.

Steven pondered a little longer. “Hmm, well I live by the sea, so maybe The Biting Shark!” He tried again. “And my thing would be that I bite people!”

“Shark-o-mania already does that,” Amethyst said, and Steven frowned. He didn’t really like this game anymore.

“Umm, well... how about the cruelest creature on the planet: an investment banker?”

“The Wolves of Wall Street do that while also wearing wolf costumes.”

“A construction worker?”

“It’s been done.”

They got home before Steven managed to come up with a wrestling character Amethyst didn’t immediately shoot down, and they said good night. Amethyst went into the temple and Steven went up the stairs to his bedroom loft, feeling bummed out.

His low mood persisted for the next few days. Amethyst asked him to join her in doing various stuff, but he always came up with an excuse to not go. For the first time in his life he wanted to do something that Amethyst wouldn’t be involved with, that Amethyst didn’t even know about. Something secret... like... like underground wrestling!

Steven rummaged around his house to see what kind of props he had, and found: a collared shirt, a tie, suspenders, a briefcase. He had a vision, but he still needed a mask, lest anyone recognise him. There were two options: a festive full-face skull mask and a little kitty muzzle you wear on your nose. He ummed and ahhed a long time between the two, but finally chose the kitty nose. He got dressed, slicked his hair back with margarine and studied his creation in the mirror.

He wore a pink collared shirt, a wide purple tie with a large dollar sign painted on it with puff paint, black suspenders, and the kitty nose mask. He also carried a briefcase that also sported the same large dollar sign in puff paint.

“It’s perfect!” Looking at himself from every angle, Steven struck a pose as if he were speaking to a microphone: “Are you READY?! Presenting Tiger Millionaire! Rich feline industrialist from Jungle Island, once the single child of the wealthy Tiger Family, he clawed out his own destiny from the shadow of his father, the famous wrestler-“

The warp pad activated and Steven launched himself upstairs to hide from Amethyst. Amethyst must not see his wrestling character. She might think it wasn’t cool.

But Amethyst simply warped in and went directly inside the temple. Steven sighed in relief from the close call, and giggled in excitement. Who knew clandestine sneaking around was so much fun!

\- - -

A few weeks after Steven’s secret wrestling career had begun, he and Amethyst were at the Big Donut.

“Hey Steven, do you want to go watch the underground wrestling again tonight?” Amethyst asked while they were picking donuts.

Steven startled, but then played it cool: “No! Oh, umm, no, you know, that whole underground wrestling thing was a little too much for me,” Steven lied. “You know, all the violence, and the... the costumes.”

“Oh okay,” Amethyst said, disappointed as they headed out with their donuts.

Lars who had overheard the conversation could barely contain himself. “Steven is too much of a baby to watch underground wrestling! I knew it! Hey Sadie!” He called towards the back room as he hurried that way. “Wanna go watch wrestling tonight?!”

That evening Lars and Sadie were in the audience for the first time in a few weeks, and Steven was in the ring.

“All these new wrestlers,” Sadie wondered out loud when the announcement of the next fight – The Loch Ness Bloggster versus Tiger Millionaire – came over the PA.

Lars cheered and whoo’ed when the new fighters stepped up, but Sadie recognised them both right away.

“That little guy's gonna get creamed,” Lars said with a laugh and took a handful of popcorn.

“From here, he kinda looks like Steven,” Sadie tried to get Lars to see who it was.

“Pfft! Yeah right!” Lars protested a little too forcefully. Sadie’s expression said “hungh” but her voice didn’t say anything – she tried to think what she should do.

Amethyst came in late, after Tiger Millionaire had already fought. Sadie noticed the gem sitting in the audience when she headed to the bathroom, and decided to sit next to Amethyst on her way back. Lars didn’t seem to miss her and she thought this was her only chance.

“Oh hey, Donut Girl!” Amethyst greeted Sadie as she sat down.

“Umm, hi. I-uhh, I just thought that you should know. Steven was here earlier.” Sadie started.

Amethyst raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure? Steven said he doesn’t like watching wrestling anymore.”

“Well, he wasn’t watching,” Sadie explained, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. “He’s a wrestler. He goes by Tiger Millionaire. I think he’s backstage now, but maybe you can catch him on his way out.”

Amethyst was shocked and couldn’t believe it. She frowned in determination. “Maybe I will.”

After the event Amethyst waited at the warehouse back doors behind some dumpsters. When she saw Steven come out, she jumped and grabbed him from behind.

“Ahh! No, stop! Help!” Steven cried out in surprise. He turned around and saw Amethyst.

“Amethyst! What are you doing here?!”

“I should be asking you what YOU’RE doing here, Steven! Are you a secret wrestler?!”

“...Yyyeah,” Steven admitted.

“Steven! That’s-! You can’t do that!” Amethyst yelled, unsure herself why.

“Why not!?” Steven yelled back. Amethyst did an internal “d’oh!” for not having thought of what to say. She had just been so upset to find out from someone else something she should have known.

“Because! You’re a gem! You can’t use your gem powers to hurt humans!”

Steven had never felt like a real gem due to not knowing how to control his powers, so now having his insecure gem identity used against him to forbid him doing something fun, made him furious. “Hnngghhh, you-! You never think any of my ideas are any good!” He yelled and ran away crying.

Amethyst could have outrun him, but decided not to. Besides, Steven was running towards home and that’s where he needed to go now. She really didn’t know what to do. She meandered around Beach City until it was morning and she found herself near It’s A Wash! – the car wash that Steven’s dad Greg Universe owned.

“Morning Amethyst!” Greg greeted her cheerfully, but then saw her state. “Oh, hey, what’s wrong?”

“Steven and I fought last night,” Amethyst confessed. “And I don’t know what to do.”

“Come here, sit down. Tell me everything,” Greg coaxed her.

Amethyst cried and told him everything about the secret wrestling and mutual yelling afterwards and Greg listened without interruption.

“Hmm...” Greg mused for a minute. “When is the next wrestling match?”

“Next Saturday,” Amethyst hiccuped.

“Leave it to me.”

\- - -

Amethyst avoided Steven for the rest of the week, keeping to herself mostly. She wondered whether Steven was going to go wrestling again or not, but she felt like she couldn’t go talk to him about it.

When Saturday rolled around, Amethyst agonised over whether to go to the warehouse or not, and what would Steven say or do if she saw her there. At last she decided to go in disguise. She wore a cape and snuck in the back after the event had already started.

Mr. Smiley was in full swing: “Two local heroes in the ring tonight, they build hospitals for the sick, and they build muscles that look slick! Give it up for... Concrete Heat and Chunk Truck!”

Amethyst looked around but couldn’t see Greg anywhere.

After a few fights, Mr. Smiley announced Tiger Millionaire and Steven climbed into the ring accompanied by cheers.

“Today is a very special day, folks,” Mr. Smiley announced. “You are about to witness Beach City Underground Wrestling history. We have set up a surprise for everyone’s favourite feline, Tiger Millionaire! Take it away sir!”

Everyone looked around in confusion. No one had any idea what was happening.

A tall figure walked past Mr. Smiley’s desk, took the microphone and entered the ring. The figure was dressed in red wrestling overalls, half of his face was covered with a red wrestling mask and the other half with a distinguished beard. He had long flowing hair, a dazzling cape, and gold jewelry from head to toe. His skin had black stripes all over and on the top of his head there were two noble tiger ears.

“Dear fans of wrestling! I am here to disappoint you. For I am Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire, and I am here to take my son home,” he roared into the microphone and pointed at Tiger Millionaire. The audience gasped.

“Whaaaat!?” Steven yelled in surprise with stars in his eyes seeing his opponent.

“I am very disappointed to find that my son is not doing good in the world with the wealth I have bequeathed him. I am here to put a stop to it!” Tiger Bazzzillionaire announced.

“No!” Tiger Millionaire yelled and rushed him to grab the mic.

“Father! You are wrong! I am doing good! I bring cheer to wrestling fans everywhere,” he said into the microphone and motioned towards the audience. They cheered.

“SO BE IT!” Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire roared and attacked Tiger Millionaire. He grabbed the smaller wrestler and hoisted him above his shoulder. Tiger Millionaire giggled and shouted: “Looks like this Tiger’s gotta turn cheetah!” And with that he covered Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire’s eyes with his hands. “Ohh!” Came the shout from the audience. Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire stumbled and fell, sending Tiger Millionaire doing somersaults across the mat.

They got up and launched at each other, locking hands. Steven could barely contain himself, he was having so much fun. Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire shifted his weight and threw his son high up in the air. Tiger Millionaire laughed and then angled to land elbow first on his opponent to knock him down. But Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire dodged and then laid on top of the bellyflopped Tiger Millionaire.

“Hnnggh! Hnngghhh!” Steven tried to pull himself free, but failing that, started to squirm under his opponent’s weight.

Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire found it very ticklish and had to roll off of his small opponent in a fit of giggles. Tiger Millionaire struggled to get up, panting for a moment on all fours, before crawling to the microphone and picking it up. “Father! I don’t want to fight you! I just wanted to be like you!” He announced while crawling over to Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire and slumping next to him. Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire took the microphone from his son.

“No son,” Mr. Tiger Bazzzillionaire said into the mic, exhausted. “You can be... some much better than I am!”

Tiger Millionaire took the mic one last time and announced with eyes welling with tears: “I will donate all my wrestling winnings to a homeless kittens shelter!”

They got on their feet, exhausted, hugged, and climbed out of the ring accompanied by raucous applause.

Lars, sitting in the audience, was very confused. “What just happened?” He asked, clapping slowly.

Sadie next to him was smiling with tears in her eyes from the touching ending to the tale of Tiger Millionaire.

\- - -

Amethyst waited at the back doors again and saw Steven come out with Greg. Steven and Amethyst made eye contact at the same time, shied away from each other at the same time, then peeked at each other again at the same time. As they noticed that they were both doing the same thing, they launched into a hug as one.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you!” “No I’m sorry I yelled at you!” “All your wrestler ideas were good!” “I’m sorry I was wrestling secretly!” They cried in each others’ arms.

“Come on guys, let’s go home,” Greg said with a smile while taking off his wrestler mask and tiger ears. He put an arm around Steven and the other around Amethyst and led them home.


End file.
